3 A dag on Facebook
Ryder hinted at a light-hearted side on Facebook in May 2010. Looking up his page, fans learnt he was a member of groups such as Cougars, State of Origin fights and Pretending To Text In Awkward Situations. The latter is a skilful ploy used by celebrity-types to slip past media or fans unobtrusively. It involves striding forward, keeping the head down and rattling the fingers randomly across the phone's text pad.
4 Blasting Currie
Former New Zealand team manager Dave Currie felt Ryder's wrath in the dressing room at the 2009 Champion's Trophy in South Africa. He tried to reprimand Ryder for smashing a chair post-dismissal and received a torrent of verbal abuse after Ryder strained an adductor muscle on his way to 74. The current Olympic chef de mission got more than he bargained for, as did Ryder, who earned a misconduct hearing and fine. Currie eventually played down the fuss, saying "it wasn't a hanging offence".
5 Covers the price of entry
Ryder produces shots all around the batting clock but his cover drive is arguably his finest. It starts with an unsuspecting, fearful or angry fast bowler bowling a half volley outside off stump. Ryder's mass leans in, sets, pauses, then strikes the ball with what seems a minimum of power. He transfers his weight and watches the ball skim the distance from crease to rope - perfection.
6 Match-winning World Cup quarter-final knock vs South Africa
Ryder's 83 came off 121 balls and 157 minutes but in context it should be classed as his most important one-day innings - especially seeing as he hadn't scored a 50 in three previous World Cup bats. In the heat of Dhaka, Bangladesh, he anchored New Zealand's total of 221 for eight which they defended against South Africa's 172. The onset of cramp meant Ryder sat out the entire South African innings, replaced by Jamie How.
7 Love of rugby league
Martin Guptill hinted at Ryder's secret passion during an interview session at the World Cup. Both select fantasy NRL teams to avoid staring at the ceiling in their hotel rooms, especially on long sub-continental tours. Guptill said: "We talk about it a fair bit off the field and he's got bragging rights with his team at the moment ... mine's not too flash."
8 Partnership breaker
It's disappointing Ryder is out of action on the bowling front indefinitely. He can rattle the ball through at up to 130km/h with gentle movement to snare big name victims. Ryder has just five test wickets at an average of 56 and 11 one-day wickets at 36 but it's worth noting who they are - Brad Haddin, Michael Clarke, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir (tests). In one-dayers, the wickets include Alastair Cook, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan.
9 Agility in the field
The surprise linking Ryder's size with his agility has become tired - if you want that sort of thing just type Bermudan Dwayne Leverock into youtube.com. However, Ryder's ability to take diving catches in the gully or balanced catches at short leg rivals anyone in the New Zealand team, except perhaps Brendon McCullum.
10 A catalysmic run of injuries
Since his international debut in a T20 against England on February 5, 2008, Ryder has appeared in 16 of 29 tests (55 per cent), 37 of 78 one-dayers (47 per cent) and 19 of 32 T20s (59 per cent). A mixture of calf, groin. elbow and, of course, severed hand tendons has plagued his career. A lack of fitness has been cited as the key factor but try telling that to fellow good grazers and fine cricketers Inzamam-ul-Haq, Arjuna Ranatunga or Colin Cowdrey.
11 The Irish jig
At 22, Ryder signed with Ireland as an overseas player in the English competition after missing the 2007 New Zealand World Cup squad. He had a view to continuing his cricket in England at the time. Ryder started in May ... and finished three weeks later after failing to turn up to a washed-out match against Surrey at The Oval. He sent a text message to coach Phil Simmons saying he'd missed his flight from Liverpool. Simmons produced quite the understated response: "I don't think he'll play for Ireland again."
